Colt Emerson entered the 2026 season on a roll. The Mariners' top prospect is coming off a strong Spring Training, one in which he was competing for an Opening Day roster spot, and returned to Triple-A Tacoma, where he finished 2025 on a high note.
On Opening Day for the Rainiers, the 20-year-old picked up where he left off by crushing a two-run homer in a 7-6 win over Reno at Greater Nevada Field.
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MLB's No. 9 prospect spotted Tacoma its first lead of the game when facing fellow left-hander Kohl Drake in the top of the third inning. The 2023 first-rounder jumped on a first-pitch curveball at the bottom of the zone and lifted it 408 feet at 101.6 mph to the opposite field.
Emerson also added a line-drive single to lead off the sixth and came around to score on a single by Patrick Wisdom two batters later.
Just nine games into his time with the Rainiers -- including a pair of playoff games -- Emerson already has three homers. The infielder is 10-for-35 with 11 RBIs and seven runs scored during that span, good for a 1.072 OPS, and his underlying data backs up the big hits, as 16 of his 26 balls in play have been hard-hit (95+ mph exit velocity).
Emerson was in the mix for a spot in the big leagues during Spring Training and slashed .268/.340/.488 with two homers in 41 plate appearances with strong defense at shortstop and third base. The Mariners opted to return him to Tacoma, where he can get everyday playing time, but he's expected to make his big league debut this season -- perhaps in June.
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Emerson may be known for a 65-grade hit tool that's among the best in the Minor Leagues, but he's proven to be quite the power hitter at the highest level of the Minor Leagues too.